Nurses hopeful for new contract

Shannon Lyons speaks in support of her fellow nurses at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington on Wednesday. The nurses union is negotiating a new contact with the hospital.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)Buy Photo

Several state and city lawmakers joined University of Vermont Medical Center nurses at a rally Wednesday afternoon in support of a labor contract for nurses

"Everybody out there wants the best care you can get," said state Sen. David Zuckerman, P-Chittenden. "If you've got tired nurses, folks who are asked to work beyond recommended productivity levels … you should be out here standing behind the nurses."

The 1,700-member Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals is negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the hospital and hopes to finalize an agreement by Friday.

The current three-year contract expires July 9. Representatives from the union and hospital have traded proposals since April and hope to agree on a new three-year deal. The new contract would be the fifth between the hospital and Vermont Federation of Nurses since the union formed in 2002.

Nurses said they are confident an agreement can be reached during the remaining scheduled negotiating sessions Thursday and Friday.

"It has been a frustrating campaign," said Laurie Aunchman, hospital nurse and president of the union. "So far the hospital's proposals have been less than optimal."

Nurses at the news conference said major issues yet to be resolved between the parties include pay equity between inpatient and outpatient nurses, pay for advance practice registered nurses (APRNs) and staffing ratios.

Aunchman said the union wants to ensure there are always enough nurses to help lift or move patients. She said over the past three years, UVM Medical Center has paid $1 million in workers compensation claims to nurses injured while trying to move patients.

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Laurie Aunchman, president of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals speaks in support of nurses Wednesday at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

APRN Shannon Lyons said the nurses also hope to see fewer patients each day to provide more individualized service.

"There's not enough time to deal with our more complex patients," Lyons said.

Lyons said with more prep time, nurses could review lab results, schedule appointments and follow up with patients by phone.

"If we want to maintain a livable community, the hospital must sustain a high level of care," Chasan said. "We owe a great debt of gratitude to the nurses at this hospital."

State Rep. Diana Gonzalez, D/P-Winooski, said competitive wages for nurses will decrease staff turnover. When nurses frequently come and go, Gonzalez said, patients lose a continuity of care and the hospital is forced to spend money training new nurses.

"Having quality care reduces costs," Gonzalez said.

UVM Medical Center hopes to break ground this summer on a new, 128-bed inpatient building on the Colchester Avenue campus. The $187-million project, nurses said, would place an additional burden on staff that needs to be addressed in the new contract.

Burlington City Councilor Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, said hospital administrators need to keep up with staffing as the hospital grows.

"The expansion needs to be done in a way that is sustainable for the nurses, who are going to populate these rooms," Tracy said.

A UVM Medical Center spokesman said the hospital remains committed to reaching a fair deal with nurses.

"The negotiating team will continue to negotiate in good faith toward a fair and satisfactory agreement," spokesman Mike Carrese said.

Carrese said the hospital wouldn't comment on any issues that remain contentious, nor the prospects of reaching an agreement by the end of this week.

Nurse Deb Snell said she is optimistic about the prospect of reaching a deal by Friday.

"We have every intention of bargaining up until the last minute," she said.

Contact Zach Despart at 651-4826 or zdespart@burlingtonfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ZachDespart. This story was first posted on June 24, 2015.